


The Road You Didn't Take

by flowerfan



Series: Season 7 future!fics [12]
Category: Glee
Genre: Communication, M/M, future!fic, married!klaine, season 7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-17
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2018-05-02 03:29:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5232251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerfan/pseuds/flowerfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The end of the semester is approaching, and summer plans are still up in the air.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Road You Didn't Take

**Author's Note:**

> Part of a series of “Season 7” ficlets that look at events in the early married life of Kurt and Blaine.

_May, 2015_

Life was busy for them both as the school year careened on to its conclusion, so it may have taken Kurt longer than it should have to notice. But something was definitely bothering Blaine.

He didn’t see it at first, although it should have been clear in the set of Blaine’s shoulders when he came home from rehearsal, not invigorated like he so often was, but still tense despite hours of singing a capella with his friends. Kurt might have figured it out when he suggested they take a night off and watch the latest Marvel movie, and Blaine begged off, citing the need to study, but well, Kurt really needed to study, too. When Blaine ate grilled chicken breasts and broccoli for three nights in a row, then binged on coffee heath bar ice cream when he thought Kurt wasn’t paying attention, a bell went off somewhere in the recesses of Kurt’s tired mind, but he didn’t yet put it all together.

Finally it was Saturday, and they had promised themselves a date night. The plan was to get their work done during the day – Blaine at NYU filming a final project with classmates from his modern film class, and Kurt putting the polishing touches on a one-act play for his junior seminar – and then meet up for dinner at a low-key bistro near their apartment.

Blaine was right on time, meeting Kurt outside the restaurant with a wide smile and a sweet kiss to the cheek. The place was one of their favorites, combining interesting food with a cozy atmosphere, chunky candles in glass jars casting a pleasing light around the room. Blaine’s eyes were sparkling as he told Kurt about his day. Blaine reached across the table to touch Kurt’s arm for emphasis as he spoke, and grinned shyly as Kurt took his hand and gave it a squeeze. 

They ordered a bottle of wine and then giggled as they contemplated ordering a second one, finally deciding against it (it’s awfully expensive, and they’ve got better stuff at home) and forgoing dessert in lieu of returning to their apartment more quickly. 

Back at home, clothes were swiftly discarded and they twined together in bed, trading soft, wine-tinged kisses and mumbling endearments to each other. They weren’t drunk, by any means, but they were certainly enjoying the leftover glow from their drinks at dinner. Kurt took a few minutes to just explore Blaine’s body, pushing him on to his stomach and lying on his side next to him, running his fingers over Blaine’s shoulder bones and the muscles in his back. Blaine smiled happily at the attention, letting his eyes drift closed, which of course required that Kurt kiss his long eyelashes reverently. 

It was one of those moments that Kurt cherished, when the love between them pulsed even stronger than the attraction, despite the fact that they were lying in bed with nothing between them but an occasional fold of their high thread count sheets. But bodies want what bodies want, and after a little while more of caressing Blaine’s upper back, Kurt began to let his hand move downwards, massaging his husband’s lower back and the spot just before his ass started to swell.

Blaine hummed appreciatively and shifted, pressing his lips to Kurt’s and then moving to kiss along his jaw. Kurt cupped the swell of Blaine’s ass and squeezed, meaning to pull them closer, but as he did it Blaine flinched and pulled back with a jerk.

Surprised - because playing around with Blaine’s ass was pretty much top of the list for both of them when it came to foreplay – Kurt’s hand flew off of Blaine.

“Honey? What’s wrong?”

Blaine shook his head and rubbed a hand up and down Kurt’s arm, trying to reassure him. “Nothing, sorry, it’s nothing.”

Kurt tried to catch Blaine’s eye, but the room was dim and Blaine wasn’t cooperating. “Did I hurt you?”

Blaine shrugged. “Must have gone too hard in spin class today.”

Kurt could hear the annoyed retort forming in his mind (no strenuous working out on date night, what were you thinking) but he pushed it away. Blaine hated spin class. He twisted around to turn on the light next to their bed, and then flopped back, finally able to see Blaine’s face clearly. It wasn’t good.

“We need to talk.” The fact that Blaine didn’t disagree only served to heighten Kurt’s concern. “Come on.” Kurt slid out of bed, pulling on a pair of pajama pants from the dresser, and tossing Blaine his matching ones, a post-wedding gift from Rachel that they both liked a little more than they cared to admit. Kurt headed out to the kitchen, putting water to boil on the stove, and then joined Blaine at their little table.

“Something’s been bothering you,” Kurt said, facing Blaine and giving him his full attention. “Can I help?”

Blaine bit his lip, shifted in his chair, and then reached out to fiddle with the bowl of sugar, making sure it was centered precisely in the middle of the table. “Professor Rutledge wants me in his troupe this summer.”

“Oh? He’s head of the drama department, right?”

Blaine nodded. “Every summer he directs a show in New York, the Berkshires. Something to do with the Tanglewood festival.”

“Blaine, that’s great! That’s a very prestigious program.” Kurt wanted to be excited for Blaine, but the look on Blaine’s face kept him from pulling Blaine into the congratulatory hug he deserved.

“I know,” Blaine said. “That’s what everyone says when they hear about it.”

“You don’t agree?” Kurt tried to keep his voice neutral. 

Blaine shrugs again. “I know it’s a prestigious program. It’s a great opportunity… it’s just…” He shook his head. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Sweetheart, there’s nothing wrong with you.” Kurt had to hug him now, whether Blaine wanted it or not. Blaine did, of course, leaning over to tuck his head into the crook of Kurt’s neck for the space of a few deep breaths.

The kettle started to whine and Kurt got up, pouring the water into mugs and placing a chamomile tea bag in each. 

Blaine started to talk as Kurt placed the mugs on the table, wrapping his hands around his cup. “Is it weird that I don’t want to go? I keep trying to convince myself that it’s the right thing to do. It will be great experience, we get to work with some really interesting people, there’s a guest director for the second half of the summer…”

“You don’t have to go, you know,” Kurt said calmly.

“But I should.” Blaine sounded resigned. “You’re staying here, right?”

“I am.” Isabelle had offered Kurt a part-time summer job working on a series of blog posts about men’s fashion that was not only right up his alley, but would earn him just enough money to pay for the intensive dance classes he wanted to take before the start of his senior year at NYADA.

They sipped at their tea in silence, the prospect of a summer apart quieting them both. Finally Kurt poked his bare foot at Blaine’s ankle, not letting up until Blaine broke into a smile.

“You’re tickling me,” Blaine said, knocking his knee against Kurt’s.

“You’re not done talking,” Kurt replied. “Why don’t you want to go with Rutledge?”

Blaine’s smile fell away as quickly as it had appeared. “I just don’t want to.”

“It’s only eight weeks, isn’t it?” Kurt watched Blaine’s face as he nodded. “We’ll be fine, you know that, right?” He reached out and pried one of Blaine’s hands off his mug and wrapped it in his own. “I’ll come visit. It’s supposed to be beautiful up there.”

Blaine blinked hard, his eyes fluttering to meet Kurt’s and then away again. “It’s not even just that I don’t want to be away from you, although that’s obviously part of it,” he said, his voice tight. “I just don’t want to go.”

Asking Blaine ‘why not’ again didn’t seem like it would be very productive, so Kurt tried a different approach. “Well, if you didn’t go, what would you like to do this summer?”

“It doesn’t matter. I should go,” Blaine mumbled stubbornly.

“Yeah, but what would you _like_ to do?”

“Nothing special.”

It was past the pulling teeth portion of the conversation, and well into the part where in the past, Kurt might have given up, might have just let Blaine wrestle with his own demons. But new and improved _husband_ Kurt was determined to get to the bottom of it.

“Oh? What completely ordinary, unimportant things would you like to do this summer, if you could do whatever you wanted to?”

This got a chuckle out of Blaine, and he sighed, letting his head fall back and gazing at the ceiling. “I’d take one of those core courses at school I still need to catch up on, so fall semester wouldn’t be so packed. Do some arranging for the Skyliners. Maybe actually have time to work on my own music.”

“That sounds like a really nice summer,” Kurt said softly. 

“Yeah,” Blaine agreed. “But I _should_ do the Berkshires thing.”

“Says who?” Kurt continued before Blaine could chime in with “everybody” again. “If you don’t think you should do it, isn’t that really the point? And who says spending the summer doing artsy versions of standard American plays will be better for you and your career than taking some time to recharge and focusing on your own creative work?”

“You don’t think it would be a mistake to turn it down?”

Kurt shook his head. “It’ll look good on your resume, for sure. But if that’s the only reason you’re doing it, that would be the mistake, not taking a pass.”

Blaine stood up, pacing the room and running his hand through his hair. “What if some famous director sees me in a show this summer, what if I get a chance to play some amazing part that really gets me noticed?”

“What if you stay home and write the start of a Tony winning musical?”

Blaine blushed, shaking his head. “Right, that’s going to happen…”

“It could.” Kurt bit his lip, considering how far to go. “But it probably won’t, at least not this summer, if you’re enslaved to Rutledge twenty-four/seven.” 

Blaine looked right at him then, his eyes clear, as if he was finally seeing through the haze of _should_ and _everyone says_ and _what if’s_. He sat back down, still holding Kurt’s gaze. “If I stayed here, I could see if they need help with the summer show at Tisch. I know the music director, she’s always trying to get me to help out with her projects.” A smile spread across Blaine’s face as he grew more excited. “They do this neat five week program for high school students who audition in, teaching them all about musical theater. It’s focused on skill building, bringing them to the next level. It would pay for the summer course, probably. Or maybe I could get credit for it.” 

“I thought you wanted time to work on your own music?” Kurt said, trying hard not to grin at Blaine’s enthusiasm.

“I’d still have time for that.” 

“I can see it now – hot summer nights, you sweating over the piano and your music books, while I laze about in the bedroom in front of the fan, waiting for you to finish one last verse.”

Blaine stood up and pulled at Kurt’s arm until he rose too, landing against Blaine’s chest with a thump. “Now that’s an invitation if I ever heard one,” he said, his voice gone low as he whispered into Kurt’s ear. “Want to see if we can pick up where we left off?”

They laughed and giggled their way back to the bedroom, and before long had worked each other into a frenzy which was resolved quite satisfactorily without any further stress on Blaine’s sore spots. Afterwards, curled up on Kurt’s chest, Blaine stroked his fingers along his husband’s collarbone and sighed. 

“Thank you for knowing me.”

It’s a privilege and an honor, Kurt thought to himself. And he thought he was getting better at it. They both were. “Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> "The Road You Didn't Take" is the title of a song from the Sondheim show "Follies."


End file.
